I'm going to #BlogHer17 in Orlando!
I’m climbing up to the highest branch on this tree to shout out  (with a ridiculous amount of excitement) that I am heading to Orlando in a week to be an attendee at BlogHer … the largest annual celebration of women online content creators, social media influencers , entrepreneurs, media makers and brand marketers.

We’re talking panels of women like Chelsea Clinton, Laurie Hernandez (Olympic gymnast/medalist), Gabrielle Reece (former pro volleyball player, Nike’s first female spokesperson) … and other  powerful, successful, influential women in a variety of different fields.

Not to mention a room full of like-minded fellow attendees to have the opportunity to connect with and be inspired by…

Yeah, you guys… I’m pretty pumped.

When I first learned about the option to attend BlogHer, the self-doubting part of me said, “I have no business rubbing elbows with the kind of people that will be there.”  Then the financially-aware part of me stepped in and started adding up the cost of registration, flight, hotel and miscellaneous travel costs and showing me how I should use that money to help cover other things in the family budget.

But this time, I let my heart step into the conversation.

Because something inside there was telling me that I need this and I deserve this. That this is something that would be big part of pushing me deeper into my calling to use my gifts to connect people through my writing. And that I couldn’t miss it.

I haven’t listened to my heart a lot in the last year. I’ve convinced myself that I’m at a stage of life (and motherhood) that putting other people first is just where I exist, and is the RIGHT place to be.  That my time will come… and that right now, my family needs me.

Well you know what… My family does need me.

Not just the laundry-doing, appointment taxi-ing, macaroni-and-cheese-making, bed-making me.

The human me.  The person me.  The me that has passions and drive and goals for myself.

They need a “me” who is personally fulfilled so that my cup is full enough to help fill theirs.  My kids need to see a Mom who pursues her dreams and passions so they know they can do the same one day.  They deserve the best version of me NOW so that they don’t miss out on all I have to offer them because I’m struggling to find my way.  My husband needs a wife who feels like herself and isn’t drowning at the end of every day.

And I need me too.

I am a person who loves making connections with people… who loves to help other people feel less alone…  whose DNA is marinating in a need to make a difference.  And I don’t want to be shy about that anymore… or pretend that doing these things isn’t essential to my health, happiness and fulfillment in this life.

Because they ARE.

And this trip has become my recommitment to myself to honor all of those things.

While the idea of being in a room of several hundred TALENTED women naturally brings up a little insecurity… it also stirs my soul in the best way.

I am going into this with the hopes of making some connections with some amazing creatives.  To be inspired by women who are making a difference in this world using THEIR gifts.  To learn more about sponsorships and how they can help me inspire more people.  To use this as an amazing personal challenge to let my authenticity lead my conversations no matter WHO I’m talking to. (And to maybe to get some pool time in with a cocktail in hand.  Just sayin…)

So my motto I’ve made for myself for this experience? “Own who I am, and own where I am in my journey.” 

So with that… the business cards I created for this trip lead with ME.  Never in a million years did I think I’d create a business card with my face on it, but here I am.

Why this pic?  I took it on a day that I had been crying through some tough inner demons after my third baby was born.  I was exhausted from the feelings of despair and just decided to get up, do my hair and put on some makeup… and I felt really GOOD for the first time in a while. So I sat down against my bathroom door in my bedroom…and documented it with my phone. To me, this picture has always been a reminder that when I start to feel lost or overwhelmed – that if I just slow down and look for her – the real me is in there. And she deserves to be seen and to be happy.

And that’s the girl I want showing up at this conference. That’s the girl that I want people to get to know.

My mission with this blog has always been about CONNECTING.  Fighting to find authenticity and perspective in our conversations about life, motherhood and everything in between.  Fighting social pressures and trust our instincts.  Fighting the autopilot mode of anticipating differences between us, and seeing commonalities instead.

And I know this experience at BlogHer is just going to help push me along in that mission.

So off I go, you guys!  I will be Instagramming, Facebooking and Tweeting my way through the conference if you want to join me in the experience.

Thank YOU for being here in this journey with me.  And thanks for sticking around to see what’s to come.

Written by Brea Schmidt

    3 Comments

  1. Kim Walsh June 21, 2017 at 11:52 pm Reply

    This is amazing!!!!!! Congratulations & well deserved. Love following this blog. Can’t wait to hear about Orlando.

    • Kim Walsh June 21, 2017 at 11:53 pm Reply

      (Morgan, Addie & June’s mom. Goooo Unicorns)

      • Brea Schmidt June 27, 2017 at 6:23 pm Reply

        You are so great! Thank you so much for saying something. I’m back as of yesterday – it was an awesome experience!

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